


Soul Particles

by karsata



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluffy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Romantic Soulmates, Soul Bond, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:28:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23213281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karsata/pseuds/karsata
Summary: When you find your soulmate the compass was supposed to become colorful and then point to that person. In case that doesn’t happen between ages 16-30 that means that the person who was supposed to be your soulmate is no longer alive or wasn’t born.
Relationships: Rhett McLaughlin & Link Neal, Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal
Comments: 29
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> No Beta, We Die Like Men.  
> Thank you to @Apparentlynotreallyfinnish for encouraging me to continue writing this story, the idea of which I couldn't get out of my head for weeks!

Link started to fully comprehend the idea of soulmates when he was in high school. Suddenly all his friends and acquaintances started to pair up with their soulmates and Link was amazed at witnessing the magic and stars in their eyes and giant warm suns in their hearts. He desperately wanted to know that feeling personally but his own compass on the wrist continued to remain colorless. When you find your soulmate the compass was supposed to become colorful and then point to that person. In case that doesn’t happen between ages 16-30 that means that the person who was supposed to be your soulmate is no longer alive or wasn’t born. 

At first Link was not bothered that he was the only one unpaired in his circle however as time passed and his life mainly consisted of dragging himself to work and back to his lonely home, he started to lose hope. He was already 26 and although there were still 4 years left until the “deadline”, he started to mentally prepare himself for a lonely existence until the end of his life.

And that is why he didn’t pay attention to the tingling feeling on his wrist at first. However, when he did, his mouth opened in surprise and he stared at his wrist in astonishment, not believing that his turn had finally come. Link slowly raised his sleeve admiring the vibrant colors that have suddenly appeared on his tattoo. The compass was also pointing in a certain direction, so followed it with his gaze, as he was standing at the crosswalk, and his eyes met with that of a very tall stranger. He was incredibly handsome, with a big beard and wavy rusty blonde hair. It took him a couple seconds to realize that the stranger was staring right back at him, his hand pointing to Link like a lighthouse beam. Luckily for their fogged minds the stop sign turned green and they simultaneously walked towards each other. People were walking around them, but they were laser focused only on each other. The stranger and apparently Link’s soulmate was the first one to talk.

“I think we should move off the street before we get run over by traffic,” he said, smiling crookedly at Link, not moving despite his own warning.

“Yeah, we should probably do that,” replied Link, finally taking a step towards the opposite street with his soulmate in tow.


	2. Chapter 2

“I’m still shocked that this finally happened to me, I’ve already made my peace with being alone for the rest of my life,” said Link. They were sitting on a bench at the nearest park, quietly taking each other in.

“Tell me about it. I was in the same boat. I was starting to get convinced that my soulmate died in childhood or something,” chuckled Rhett, looking lovingly at Link.

“Isn’t it weird for you?” asked Link “Feeling like this all of a sudden and about a total stranger too. It seems kind on unnatural and yet I waited for it for so long”

“I suppose it takes some time to get used to,” said Rhett thoughtfully “but I already can tell how wonderful our connection is and your presence brings me immense joy.”

Link blushed not sure what to say to that. He felt all those things too but it seemed unreal for this to happen so fast and easy, like someone was about to jump out of the bush and yell “Pranked you!” or he might wake up realizing it was all a dream.

“What would you like to do now? Were you headed anywhere?” asked Rhett, bringing him back from his troubling thoughts.

“Just to the grocery store,” replied Link “you?”

“To the park actually,” laughed Rhett, “but we are already here, so why don’t we go to the grocery store next?”

“ That can wait, I have a better idea,” said Link standing up from the bench.

“What’s that?” Rhett stood up too, curiously studying Link’s features.

“Let’s go eat lunch somewhere then go back to my house and watch a horror movie!”

“Oh, you are a fan of horror movies too?” asked Rhett intrigued.

“No, in fact quite the opposite, but the prospect of burying my head in your chest during the jumpscares, seems very tempting.” Link couldn’t believe how forward he was, usually he had more filter than that, but the magnetic need of their bond was getting stronger with each minute and he wanted to touch Rhett in whatever way possible.

“You feel it too, don’t you?” smirked Rhett “This overwhelming need to touch, to connect.”

“Yeah,” whispered Link, mesmerized by Rhett’s eyes changing color under the sun. He never paid much attention to other people’s eyes before, now he couldn’t look away. “I don’t want to rush anything though. You think you are ready for the experience by constantly encountering it in other people and reading about it, but personally feeling it, is entirely different.”

“I know what you mean,” said Rhett “but we can’t really mess this up, we are soulmates, our bond is pretty much unbreakable, so why should we constrain ourselves?”

“You’re right, there is no reason,” replied Link, no longer able to resist the attraction and swiftly closed the distance between them kissing Rhett deeply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have already written chapter 3, so I plan on posting it tomorrow. Comments are greatly appreciated and thank you for your attention!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From this point each chapter is going to be about a particular time period. I apologize in advance if the time jumps are too jarring. I initially didn’t intend for this story to be too long but since I couldn’t fit everything in a one-shot, I decided to divide it into several chapters.

“Why does this feel so good? I mean I know why but I still can’t get used to it.” Link was lying on his couch wrapped in Rhett’s strong arms.

“It’s surreal, isn’t it?” replied Rhett, awe evident in his voice “and to think that I could have died never experiencing this all encompassing sense of completeness and love.” Link snuggled closer to Rhett, soaking up the moment. 

They were together for a couple of months now and their bond was as strong as ever. Before finding Rhett, Link was plugged with the same malaise as the rest of humanity: he felt alone in the whole universe no matter how many people he was surrounded by, it always felt like no one was able to see the real him, understand his thoughts, feelings, essence. However, the soulmate bond connects people on a whole other level, which makes it possible, sometimes they can nearly sense each other's thoughts and moods telepathically. 

First time Link started realizing that not everything was positive about their bond though was a week before his birthday. Things were not going great at work and the constant pressure from the higher-ups was starting to get to him, so he was really looking forward to their date that evening. Yet when he called Rhett to finalize their plans, it turned out that he couldn’t make it that night.

“I’m sorry Link, I have to cancel our plans, my boss made me stay after work, because this project deadline is nearing, and we have a lot of things to finish still” explained Rhett.

“At what time are you getting off work then, I hope they are not going to keep you until…” Link abruptly stopped talking as his attention was diverted to the compass on his wrist and according to the direction it was pointing at Rhett definitely wasn’t at his workplace at the moment.

“Link, you there?” asked Rhett after prolonged silence.

“Yes, I’m here, I just got distracted for a minute. Anyway, as I was saying, I hope they won’t keep you there until late night,” Link replied, debating between confronting Rhett about the lie or letting it go for now.

“It might take several hours, but I’ll be fine, don’t worry, we are definitely rescheduling our date for tomorrow though, don’t worry baby, I’ll make it up to you, sorry again for last minute change of plans.” Rhett seemed apologetic, but why would he outright lie, did he forget about the compass and its ability to show soulmates’ location during the first year? Truth be told, they never used that “feature” unless absolutely necessary and Link wouldn’t have checked this time as well if his gaze didn’t wander to it accidentally, but still they both knew about that option. 

Link wasn’t worried much about the possibility of Rhett cheating on him, as throughout history, cases of soulmates cheating on each other were very rare as a result of the strong binding bond, but he was confused and hurt by Rhett lying to him, whatever the reason might be. His mind was also prone to overthinking, so it wasn’t long until he conjured every possible scenario. 

As days went by, Link couldn’t forget about it and it started to affect their relationship. Rhett noticed the strain too, so after a while he was not able to hold it in anymore and voiced his concerns.

“Link, is something wrong? I can’t help but feel that you are mad at me or hiding something.”

“Trust me, I’m not the one keeping secrets,” Link huffed sarcastically.

“What is that supposed to mean?” blanched Rhett, shocked by the accusation.

“Well, according to my compass, you weren’t held back at work a few days ago when you cancelled our date, so tell me Rhett, what were you actually doing?” asked Link agitated. He was tired of waiting for Rhett to confess on his own, he wanted answers now to stop the pain from eating away at his mind.

“Link it wasn’t...I wasn’t trying to keep anything from you, I only lied because I was planning a surprise birthday party for you, and the venue coordinator couldn’t schedule our meeting for another day, that is why I cancelled our date” Rhett cautiously approached Link, not sure whether to physically comfort him or not.  Link made that decision for him and tightly hugged Rhett.

“I’m sorry I doubted you and I’m sorry for not asking sooner, I worried so much,” Link murmured against Rhett’s throat, feeling the accumulated tension leaving him.

“It’s ok babe, I know how you overthink everything, but believe me, I would never lie to you about serious matters Link, I know that hypothetically I am able to do it, however our bond is very important for me to betray your trust like that.” Rhett gently caressed Links back, trying to convey his love through touch.

Link withdrew from Rhett’s embrace and kissed him slowly but passionately. When they broke apart to take a breath, Link quietly whispered against Rhett’s lips “Please take me to bed and show me how much you love me”.

“Gladly” replied Rhett, hoisting Link into his arms and headed to the bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always comments are greatly appreciated and thank you for your attention!


	4. Chapter 4

Link was browsing different touristic web-sites when Rhett came home.

“Honey, I’m home!” he yelled cheerfully from the hallway. 

“Hey,” said Link distractedly, scrolling through various pictures of pyramids, camel rides and deserts.

“What are you looking at?” asked Rhett, peeking at the computer screen over Link’s shoulder.

“Egypt,” replied Link thoughtfully “I was thinking about spending our vacations and celebrating our 1 year anniversary there. What do you think?” 

“That’s a fantastic idea!” beamed Rhett “I always wanted to see the pyramids and learn about Egypt’s history”

“I was also thinking about arranging a caravan ride through the desert, but I’m not really sure about that yet,” said Link.

“Are you kidding me? That would be great, I’ve never ridden a camel!” Rhett was getting more excited about the trip the longer they spoke. 

“I doubt that many people in LA did,” laughed Link “But yeah, I understand the appeal, that is why I was seriously considering it in the first place but I’m apprehensive about spending several hours in the desert under the burning sun.”

“We will take the necessary precautions,” dismissed his concerns Rhett “imagine how fun the experience is going to be though.”

So that’s exactly what Link did. He made all the corresponding reservations through one of the travel agencies, impatiently waiting the day of the trip.

~ ~ ~   


They were in Egypt for a few days already and everything was going great: they visited Pyramids, museums, archeological treasures and some pretty interesting clubs. That night they also planned on attending the thematic costume party at their hotel and Link was very excited about his outfit that he bought at the mall earlier. Rhett shopped separately for his costume, so that they could surprise each other before the event.

“Are you ready?” yelled Rhett from the other room.

“Ready. Let’s do this!” Link yelled back.

When they revealed their costumes to each other, they immediately burst out laughing.

“We could have saved some money by buying 2 for 1,” said grinning Rhett inspecting their identical pharaoh costumes.

“Well I guess two pharaohs are better than just one,” replied Link admiring Rhett’s make-up, the winged eyeliner looked particularly good on him.

Shortly after they were at the party dancing the night away. The carefree enticing movements of their bodies moving fluently to the music’s beat was drawing everybody’s attention to them but they only had eyes for each other. The love radiating from them was so intense that it seemed like the whole room was under its influence, each person filled to the brim with the euphoria of insatiable yearning.

It all felt like a fairy tale, too good to be true, but for the first time in his life Link didn’t overanalyze everything, simply enjoying the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always comments are greatly appreciated and hope you've enjoyed the story so far! :)


	5. Chapter 5

They have planned the camel ride to be on the last day of their trip, to cap off the experience on a high note. Waking up at 5 am was not easy, but Link was excited about the day ahead. After meeting the guide and going through all the necessary instructions and donning the “gear”, they finally got on the camels. The feeling of being on top of these big and magnificent creatures was fantastic. The trek was supposed to take about 2 hours, after which they could take a shower, pack their things, eat dinner and go to the airport. 

Despite the fact that the desert was barren except for the occasional tumbleweed, the sight of the golden sand crystals shining like glitter under the bright rays of the sun was stunning. Link couldn’t help but admire Rhett riding the big camel looking like a high king. His heart was so full, he was afraid it might burst. 

They were traveling for an hour when it happened, something none of them anticipated. The silence was abruptly filled with a whistling sound. Then all of a sudden the sand was everywhere, obstructing the view and making it hard to breath and the Shemagh: the Bedouin headgear was no barrier against the vicious nature. 

Everything happened so fast Link didn’t even have time to comprehend it. One moment they were peacefully following the caravan and the next thing he knows there is a huge sand storm all around them. The person in front of him guided his camel to a hill ahead of them to take cover while yelling something in a foreign language to his friend. Link was so disoriented that by the time he got his bearings Rhett was nowhere to be found. In his panic he tried to leave the cover in search of Rhett but the guide didn’t let him.

“I have to find Rhett, you don’t understand, he’s gone, I can’t see him,” yelled Link trying to break out of the man's hold.

“You go, you die,” explained the guide not letting him go.

Eventually, Link stopped protesting, realizing that he will be of no help to Rhett if he just died out there. Minutes or hours must have passed before the storm calmed down. Once the visibility was back Link couldn’t see anything but sand.

“Rhett, Rhett, where are you? RHETT!” he kept shouting, looking in all directions, until his voice gave out.

“We call emergency, they find him” Link heard someone saying through a humming noise in his head. He felt like an out of focus camera, no matter how hard he tried to make sense of it all nothing helped. Emptiness was slowly filling him, robbing him of the ability of navigating his surroundings or to clearly map out his next actions. Link felt like he was drowning and the desire to succumb to the feeling was tremendous. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last regular chapter, I am going to post a small epilogue tomorrow and that's it. Honestly this chapter was so hard for me to write for some reason, it sucked the soul out of my body haha anyway, hope you have enjoyed this little story! ^_^

Link wasn’t sure how long he was in a trance-like state. He was aware of everything that was happening around him on a peripheral level, but was not much of a participant. However, Link came to his senses once he heard the words “I don’t think we will be able to find him on time." 

“I think I can help,” said Link in answer to the horrible statement, trying not to concentrate on the meaning of those words. “My compass still works, it’s weaker than before, since the year of our bond is almost up, but we still have some time. I’m gonna help you find my soulmate, but I need help, I know nothing about survival in a desert.”

One of the emergency workers turned at the sound of his voice and said, “I’m sorry, we shouldn’t have been discussing this in your presence”.

“Doesn’t matter now,” dismissed Link. “What’s important is finding Rhett, and as you correctly noticed there is not much time left, even with my compass we still might not find him on time in these natural conditions.“

“Very well, my team and I will go with you. How strong is your compass right now?” asked the man.

“It shows the general direction but not the exact one. At the moment though that location is pretty far away from here and I’m not sure when specifically the compass is going to stop showing anything at all, so I assume we need to follow these coordinates and then try to find Rhett’s exact location on the spot.” replied Link showing his compass.

“That’s a solid plan," said the man and then yelled to his coworkers, "Let’s prepare all the gear and start the search guys!”

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

They were in the desert following Link’s compass for 2 days already. The arrow was barely moving anymore and Link was starting to lose hope. He was hunched up in the tent near the mattress, sobs wrecking his body. He couldn't get rid of the thought that this was all his fault, if they had never gone for this ride everything would have been fine. He would have been hugging Rhett right now and not his knees, trying to keep himself whole and not break to pieces. Suddenly there was a commotion at his tent that made him look up.

“Hey, Link, can I come in?” asked Mahdi, who Link learned earlier was the head of the rescue team.

“Yes, of course” replied Link, quickly trying to make himself look decent. 

“We found something in the sand,” said Mahdi, once he came in, holding out a scarf. “Is this Rhett’s?”

“Yes,” Link reverently touched the fabric. “What does this mean?”

“Well, we assume that Rhett might be close. What is your compass showing?” asked Mahdi pointedly looking at Link’s wrist.

Link rolled up his sleeve showing the compass to Mahdi. After carefully inspecting it, Mahdi told Link to get ready in 5 minutes, as they needed to move as fast as possible, before the wind covered the traces with fresh sand and while the compass was still working. 

They were in the desert for an hour and Link was about to give in to his exhaustion, when his compass had gone crazy:the arrow was shaking uncontrollably, which could only mean one thing. Rhett was very close.

He quickly found Mahdi to show him the compass and after regrouping, they promptly headed in that direction. After what seemed like ages in Link’s current anxious and agitated state, but was actually just minutes, they found the camel listlessly stomping the sand around him and later: Rhett’s unconscious body nearby.

Link was at his side immediately, hugging him tightly and trying to wake him up. “C’mon Rhett, wake up, please baby, wake up!” He was shaking like a leaf, tears silently streaming down his cheeks. 

“Link, can you please move and let me check his vitals” said Mahdi gently, putting his hand on Link’s shoulder. 

“Yes, I’m sorry, go ahead” Link stood up wiping his tears and watched as the medics got to work. He was terrified to hear their diagnosis, because if Rhett... if Rhett...god he couldn’t even think about that outcome. No, Rhett is alright, he is going to be ok, he’ll recover, they will be stronger than ever after this horrible incident, they will make it, otherwise...otherwise what is the point of…

“I feel the pulse, it’s weak but it’s there, I assume he lost consciousness as a result of unrelenting heat and dehydration. We need to move him to the hospital as soon as possible,” Mahdi interrupted his thoughts, ordering the crew to bring the stretcher and coordinating the process.

Link felt like a stranger in his own body, like someone else was controlling it, making it function while his mind was in shutdown. It seemed that the only way he could cope with this traumatic reality was to totally remove himself from the situation. He barely realized what was happening until he was seated in the waiting room and a nurse came to inform him that he could visit Rhett. 

“He is still unconscious, but we are giving him IV fluids, so he should be good to go soon, his life is not in danger, so all he needs now is time to recover” she said, showing him Rhett’s hospital room.

“Thank you,” replied Link numbly.

“You’re welcome. He’ll be out of here very soon, you’ll see.” She smiled kindly and left him alone.

Link hesitated at the door. He wasn’t sure of his reaction upon seeing Rhett lying there motionless. Nevertheless, he couldn't stand outside forever, so he took a deep breath and entered the room. Rhett was connected to a lot of tubes and machines but his face looked peaceful. Link brought a chair to Rhett's bedside and sat there lovingly studying his features then took Rhett’s hand in his, reassured by the warm touch.

It wasn’t long until Link succumbed to sleep, his fatigued body caving under the pressure. 

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

Link slowly returned to consciousness to a pleasant sensation of someone combing through his hair. It didn’t register initially where he was and with whom, but once the memories came back, he startled awake sitting upright in the chair.

Rhett’s affectionate gaze trained on him was the first thing he noticed. At the sight instant relief coursed through Link's veins making him lightheaded. 

“God, Rhett, you’re awake! Oh my god, you’re ok! I was so scared of losing you, the moment I lost sight of you in that desert I thought I was never going to see you again!” Link delicately hugged Rhett, aware of the tubes. 

“Hey love, I'm fine, you found me Link,” Rhett whispered into his ear, but his calming words had the opposite effect, making Link burst into a fresh bout of tears. 

“Shh, baby, I’ve got you now, you don’t have to worry anymore,” tried Rhett to soothe him again.

Link withdrew from Rhett’s embrace, guilt evident in his expression, “It’s all my fault, if it wasn't for my stupid caravan ride idea, we would have never been in this situation, I risked your life Rhett!”

“If you remember, I wholeheartedly supported the idea too. Besides, it’s nobody’s fault, nature is often unpredictable. Now come here and give me a kiss.” Rhett had a mischievous glint in his eyes and come-hither smile.

Link leaned in without any protest and kissed Rhett like his life depended on it.

Finally with his soulmate by his side, Link's heart was whole again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think, it's always a pleasure to talk to you guys!


	7. Epilogue

Link was in the park, sitting alone on the bench, surrounded by rowdy children, their parents and enthusiastic dogs running around catching balls and frisbees.

“Is this seat taken?” he heard suddenly. When he looked up, there was a very tall person hovering over him. 

“No, it’s free.” Link schooched to one side making room for him.

“It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?” asked the stranger.

“Sure is!” Link tried to hide his smile looking into the distance.

“Ok, this is ridiculous, I’m not made for role-playing,” frowned Rhett, turning to face Link.

“Ah, but it was such a good start,” laughed Link looking back at him “This is where we sat when we first met, remember?”

“How could I forget?” Rhett draped his arm around Link’s shoulders, bringing him close to his side, “You were like a shining star in the dark stormy night of my life.”

“You were always the more romantic one out of us two,” chuckled Link kissing Rhett’s temple, “I love you too Rhett, so much.”

Maybe everything does happen for a reason, thought Link sitting next to the love of his life, as life taught him to cherish the little things and to not take anything for granted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. It was hard writing it sometimes as a result of current events but your support helped me finish it, so thank you! <3


End file.
